JIMMY OLSEN 148 (1972)
by Jack Kirby
cover by Neal Adams
When I started the Jimmy Olsen retrospective, I figured I would probably skip most of the Jack Kirby run since (despite my criticism) it’s still VASTLY superior to earlier issues.
I ended up reviewing every single Kirby issue, and this is the last one.
Last time Superman was trapped inside a volcano, but it’s not like that slows him down.
Victor Volcanum is a GLORIOUSLY Silver Age villain. He’s basically “what if Marvel’s Mole Man was actually a 19th century balloonist?”.
Also, since he discovers the secret of immortality, you can also draw a parallel to another Marvel villain who operates underground, Tyrannus.
And yes both Mole Man and Tyrannus were co-created by Kirby.
But he stays alive by drinking volcano juice, so at least something about him is original.
Superman doesn’t think much about Volcanum’s robots.
(why does every robot make a completely different sound?)
Well Volcanum’s most elite robot is knocked out BY JIMMY OLSEN, so how good could these things be?
Okay, first: why the hell would Volcanum put an off-switch on the chest of his personal guard? More importantly, how did Jimmy know about it!?!?
Going through Volcanum’s lab, Superman discovers a model showing his plan: blow up the major world cities by super-science.
Volcanum is leaving because his underwold kingdom isn’t enough for him anymore, and he blows it up.
Obviously that doesn’t stop Superman, who confronts him and has to hear his Doctor Doom-esque monologue…
…until Volcanum commits suicide.
And so we end with Jimmy Olsen and the Newsboy Legion driving the Whiz Wagon into the sunset.
Well that was… uhm… that was 22 pages of a comic book, I guess.
We have one last bonus round: the last “Tale of the DNA Project”.
The genetically engineered shirtless dude is actually the good guy and the one with the uniform is an enemy spy.
And that’s significant because shirtless dude is a clone of a gangster.
Everything about the Kirby run comes with a giant question mark, but all the “Tales of the DNA Project” stuff just baffles me.
And that was the Jack Kirby run on Jimmy Olsen! What a journey.
One last time: I have nothing but tremendous respect for the King, but his writing here sucks.
Historical significance: 0/10
Silver Age-ness: 10/10
Does it stand the test of time? 5/10
What a mess. Volcanum is so Silver Age he’s almost a parody, his origin is ridiculous, his methods are generic, the plot has nothing to do with the previous stories… as usual, the artwork is the only saving grace, but even The King can’t save this one.
Most Kirby panel
Most WTF panel
Interesting letters: I still have no idea of what the hell the musicians were doing in that story. I get that it’s apparently a reference to a Comic Con event, but what were those guys DOING!?
Apparently Kirby leaving wasn’t a surprise. At least he recognized his limits.
